Vinicius Jr is relishing the prospect of a “last dance” with Neymar at the World Cup.
Veteran Santos forward Neymar was included in the Brazil squad by boss Carlo Ancelotti last week, ending months of speculation as to whether the 34-year-old would get a call-up having not played for the national team since tearing an ACL in a World Cup qualifier against Uruguay on October 17, 2023.
Vinicius revealed he had been in regular contact with the former Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona star prior to the announcement.
He told Caze TV: “Neymar is our idol. He has always been very important to me and has defended me a lot.
“After every [previous] squad announcement, Neymar would tell me he was sad not to be selected. I told him the coach trusted him and would bring him in when the time came.
“Playing with him again would be an honour. Hopefully, a wonderful last dance.”
Brazil’s number 10 shirt belongs to Neymar – Vinicius Jr
Vinicius has been one of several players to wear Brazil’s iconic number 10 shirt during Neymar’s absence but revealed it was now back with its rightful owner.
“I don’t know what number I’ll wear at the World Cup, but the number 10 belongs to Neymar, that’s obvious,” he added.
Brazil struggled through the Conmebol qualifying section, winning just eight of their 18 games and finishing fifth, 10 points behind arch rivals Argentina.
Nevertheless, they will be among the teams to watch in the United States, Canada and Mexico this summer.
“I hope the eight World Cup matches will be the best games of my life,” he said. “Playing for Brazil in the biggest tournament in football is a dream since I was a child.”
The Real Madrid star, who has had a difficult season at the Santiago Bernabeu, named Spain as one of the favourites but does not appear to fancy England.
Listing his contenders, he said: “Spain, France, Argentina, Portugal, and Germany are the favourites.”
Brazil World Cup schedule
Brazil open their campaign against African champions Morocco in Group C before games with Haiti and Scotland.
If they win the pool, they will go on to play their last-32 match in Houston against the runners-up in Group F on June 29.
Brazil’s initial World Cup schedule looks like this. Kick-off times with an asterisk denote the following day.
| Date | Opponents | BST | ET | PT | Venue |
| Sat, June 13 | Morocco | 23:00 | 18:00 | 15:00 | New Jersey |
| Fri, June 19 | Haiti | 01:30* | 20:30 | 17:30 | Philadelphia |
| Wed, June 24 | Scotland | 23:00 | 18:00 | 15:00 | Miami |
